The ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF) has approved proposals for six eco-sensitive zones in the state. These include such zones for the Marine National Park and Marine Wildlife Sanctuary , Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary , Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary , Purna Wildlife Sanctuary , Vansda National Park and Thol Wildlife Sanctuary .
In reply to a question raised
by Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani, the minister of state for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, said the ministry has cleared 275 eco-sensitive zones in the country, including the six zones in Gujarat. He added that the 275 eco-sensitive zones have been proposed around 404 wildlife sanctuaries and national
parks. Of the proposals which have been cleared by the MOEF , 215 have been notified in the Gazette of India, and of these, 183 are draft notifications and 32 are final notifications, said the minister.

Eco-sensitive zones are declared after taking into account factors like biological diversity , their conservation, and proximity to wildlife sanctuarynational park and wildlife corridors, he said.

According to the statement of the minister, the concept of eco-sensitive zone is to conserve biodiversity , endangered wildli
fe and environment around protected areas such as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, thus creating buffers or `safety zones' without impeding legitimate socio-economic development of the area. The issue of livelihoods of locals are taken into consideration while determining the extent of an eco-sensitive area, the statement reads.

The minister also added that restrictions are imposed in ecosensitive zones on certain activities and projects which can adversely impact wildlife, while eco-friendly activities are promoted.